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Resilience – do you have an ability to bounce back?

Resilience – do you have an ability to bounce back?

Resilience – a quality that marks out many successful people. And, they seem to have an outstanding ability to bounce back.

Psychological resilience is about how well you deal with stress, resolve problems and handle misfortune. But, no one goes through life without set-backs. Issues that test your ability to bounce back can emerge at work, at home or in your private life. Health and relationship problems and/or financial pressures may need great resilience to handle. So, resilience usually helps you handle and bounce back from misfortune.

Some people seem to be born with this natural ability to bounce back. But, if you are not so lucky, resilience is a skill that can be learned by almost anyone. And, it is strengthened by an optimistic outlook and a positive approach to life. Resilience is about coming out of a deeply stressful situation strengthened; having learned from the experience.

Resilience is best understood as a process.

This includes;

Knowing how to analyse what is going on around you

Making plans to handle the situation

Having confidence in your ability to carry out your plans

Knowing how to communicate and get support when you need it

Handling your strong feelings and emotions.

Resilient people who look for the best in any situation. Those who are prepared to be flexible in their approach and focused on solving problems, seem to be the most resilient. A sense of humour in the face of adversity always helps. Humour seems to improve the immune system. People with perseverance and passion for their long-term goals often manage to overcome huge obstacles on the way.

How to build resilience

The American Psychological Association suggests “10 Ways to Build Resilience.” These are:

Maintaining good relationships with family and friends

Avoiding seeing crises or stressful events as unbearable problems

Learning to accept what cannot be changed

Developing realistic goals and moving towards them

Taking decisive actions in adverse situations

Looking for opportunities for self-discovery after a struggle with loss

Developing self-confidence

Keeping a long-term perspective and considering the stressful event in a broader context

Maintaining a hopeful outlook, expecting good things and visualizing what is wished for

What if you didn’t get the chance to learn to be resilient when young?

Unfortunately, there can be many circumstances in life which work against developing these characteristics in early life. Luckily, you can take steps to develop your resilience at any time. It is never too early or too late to start learning to bounce.

Working with a coach really can help you develop resilience. Get in touch at the email address below – I offer a free half hour trial session by phone or Skype.

Wendy Smith is a career consultant, life coach and business coach with depth of experience in organisational development, management, coaching and personal development. That experience means she is equally at home helping clients find a new career direction, starting-up new businesses or dealing with life’s more challenging personal issues. You can contact her at wendy@wisewolfcoaching.com

Wendy has written a little eBook on how to get on with your boss and a book on job search – you can find all her books on Amazon at this link